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Pacers-Blazers Post Game

I really enjoyed watching this game last night. I don't know why. I'm sure it's a combination of lowered expectations, the Blazers being my second favorite team, and a more varied offense.

I thought our offense looked better without Danny on the floor. There were far fewer early long-range jumpers. We fed Hibbert in the post far more often. There was a bit more ball and player movement. It was nice to watch. Portland is an excellent defensive team, and we managed to play some pretty fantastic offense for 2 quarters (2nd, 3rd).

Here are my thoughts:

Our starting lineup sucks. I'm not going to go back and do the research right now, but how many games in a row have we basically been run off the floor during the first 5 minutes of the game? It's seems like it happens pretty much every night. Then we bring in some bench guys, do a pretty good job of playing catch-up for 2 quarters, and then fade down the stretch.

LaMarcus Aldridge is good. I know he scored 10 points in a row with Troy trying to guard him, but I think that says more about Aldridge than it does about Troy. He was hitting some very difficult shots. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Troy was playing good defense on him, but Murphy wasn't just giving up dunks or wide open jumpers. If Aldridge is going to hit turnaround jumpers like that, there are only 5-6 guys in the NBA who are going to be able to slow him down, and none of them are on our roster.

Brandon Roy is good. I hope Danny watched the 4th quarter. That's how the best player on a team is supposed to play when the game's close.

AJ Price deserves minutes. The 2-10 shooting was a bit of an anomaly. We all know the kid can shoot. His pass to Dunleavy was probably one of the best 3 passes we've seen from all season. I'd be 100% happy with a Watson-Price PG tandem for the rest of the year.

I think Hibbert got hurt in the 3rd quarter. The TV showed him on the bench wincing and talking to some trainers. At least that's how I'm choosing to explain him not coming back in the game when he was playing pretty well.

Rush played pretty well in the 2nd half yesterday. I'm hoping we'll see a turnaround while Danny's out. He got in to a nice little tete-a-tete with Brandon Roy for a couple possessions. He wasn't able to stop Roy (not many can) but he was able to score on him twice in a row.

Why can't Foster and Hibbert play together? That makes more sense than Hansbrough-Murphy. It's not like Jeff is totally locked in to the center position.

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Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

Roy grabbed his shoulder right before he shot and missed both free throws and then came out of the game. He was being worked on for quite some time on the bench.

I think Luther Head played nicely. He bring some instant offense that we desperately need.

On the way home from the game listening to the radio I was completely surprised to hear A.J. went 2-10 and Tyler went 4-14. It didn't seem like it all while being at the game. A.J. actually looked like a point guard out there, so I probably chose to overlook his poor shooting. Tyler definitely forces his offense, but honestly someone has to for us.

I know T.J. has hit some big shots for us down the stretch so I understand him playing, but he was playing pretty terribly last night.

I re-read Larry's Bird Watching book this past weekend (trying to remember the better times) and I'm paraphrasing, but he mentioned how no matter what his rotation was if someone was hot or playing better he would ride that out. He gave the example that Mully got hot one game and he had to cut Jalen's minutes and that eventually Jalen understood because it was better for the team. I wish O'B would realize when we have a lineup that's working to stick with it and not by default go back to the vets. I know this horse has been beaten to death, but we lost that game last night when the starters (+Dunleavy, -Rush) came back in.

If A.J. Price is outplaying Ford, you go with Price. It's that simple. If Tyler is outplaying Murph, you go with Tyler. I understand Tyler's minutes were limited last night, but do you think that was really the deciding factor? I just want the best basketball team on the floor and that is not necessarily the vets. Some nights maybe it is, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way every night. I could be terribly wrong, I just don't think O'Brien is willing to be flexible on a game by game basis when it comes to rotations. I know he changes the starting line-ups almost every game, but that's not what I'm talking about. IMO, everyone in the building last night knew which line-up got us back in that game last night except the one who needed to, the coach.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

I really enjoyed watching Foster work against Aldridge. He forced Aldridge into tough shots, when he took shots. Usually, Jeff was on him so tight that he had to pass the ball out. Imagine if everyone played D like that....

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

When Bird went with the "hot hand," it generally meant he was choosing between a Chris Mullin and a Jalen Rose, or one of the Davises and a Rik Smits, or towards the end, a Mark Jackson and an experienced Travis Best.

It's much easier to go with the hot hand, when the hot hand has a history of performing.

As to Foster and Hibbert playing together, the core problem is that it brings yet another defender into the paint, and provides a natural option to send the double team at Roy.

The two have not played together at all this season, but they saw 220 minutes of action together last year. It was helpful defensively, but damaging offensively. It was a very, very slight positive, about 0.23 pts per 100 on a net basis.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

As to Foster and Hibbert playing together, the core problem is that it brings yet another defender into the paint, and provides a natural option to send the double team at Roy.

The two have not played together at all this season, but they saw 220 minutes of action together last year. It was helpful defensively, but damaging offensively. It was a very, very slight positive, about 0.23 pts per 100 on a net basis.

Was it a net positive or negative when you compare to the Roy/Murphy stats from this year?

Also, Foster and Hibbert are both very good passers. I would think that they'd be able to effectively deal with double teams in that manner at least some of the time. I also think that Hibbert is substantially better this year offensively than he was last year.

I agree that it's not an ideal pairing. However, I like the idea of our best offensive post player and shot-blocker being able to be on the court with our best post defender and best rebounder. Also, I feel like Foster deserves his minutes (unquestionably so, IMO) and that Roy's just going to get screwed in this trade-off. You can phrase it that Roy is getting benched for Foster and make it more palatable, but in reality he's getting benched for Murphy - whom he's dramatically out preforming so far this season.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

When Bird went with the "hot hand," it generally meant he was choosing between a Chris Mullin and a Jalen Rose, or one of the Davises and a Rik Smits, or towards the end, a Mark Jackson and an experienced Travis Best.

It's much easier to go with the hot hand, when the hot hand has a history of performing.

As to Foster and Hibbert playing together, the core problem is that it brings yet another defender into the paint, and provides a natural option to send the double team at Roy.

The two have not played together at all this season, but they saw 220 minutes of action together last year. It was helpful defensively, but damaging offensively. It was a very, very slight positive, about 0.23 pts per 100 on a net basis.

I completely understand what you're saying, but their history has to start somewhere. I probably used a bad analogy anyway because it wasn't necessarily a hot hand, it was just the younger guys flat out outplaying the vets against Portland. Like I said, I just want the best guys on the floor during that given game. I wish O'B wasn't so set in his ways with the vets, that's all.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

Like I said, I just want the best guys on the floor during that given game. I wish O'B wasn't so set in his ways with the vets, that's all.

The problem is that they are all bad in their own ways. That's why this argument goes on - for every "player A shoots better than player B" there's a "player B defends better than player A". About the only clear point of congruence here is that Murphy isn't living up to what his positive is supposed to be and is still subject to all his negatives. If it weren't for that nobody would be able to agree on where JOB is screwing up.

BillS

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

The problem is that they are all bad in their own ways. That's why this argument goes on - for every "player A shoots better than player B" there's a "player B defends better than player A". About the only clear point of congruence here is that Murphy isn't living up to what his positive is supposed to be and is still subject to all his negatives. If it weren't for that nobody would be able to agree on where JOB is screwing up.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's just frustrating watching T.J. and Murph (in this game/instance) go out there and lose the momentum that the second unit had accomplished. It's not the first time this has happened this season.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

Was it a net positive or negative when you compare to the Roy/Murphy stats from this year?

Also, Foster and Hibbert are both very good passers. I would think that they'd be able to effectively deal with double teams in that manner at least some of the time. I also think that Hibbert is substantially better this year offensively than he was last year.

I agree that it's not an ideal pairing. However, I like the idea of our best offensive post player and shot-blocker being able to be on the court with our best post defender and best rebounder. Also, I feel like Foster deserves his minutes (unquestionably so, IMO) and that Roy's just going to get screwed in this trade-off. You can phrase it that Roy is getting benched for Foster and make it more palatable, but in reality he's getting benched for Murphy - whom he's dramatically out preforming so far this season.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

Not true! Troy is having a down year so far, however to say that Roy has outplayed him dramaticaly is hyperbole. I do watch the games, I just watch without the rose colored glasses some wear in their effort to build up Roy.

Re: Pacers-Blazers Post Game

Not true! Troy is having a down year so far, however to say that Roy has outplayed him dramaticaly is hyperbole. I do watch the games, I just watch without the rose colored glasses some wear in their effort to build up Roy.

I'm far from trying to build up Roy. But he is dramatically outplaying Troy because we don't instantly get worse every time Roy steps on the floor. That is not the case with Troy.